Close to 50 African heads of state have gathered in Durban, South Africa, to open a new era for the continent with the end of the 39-year-old Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the launch of the African Union (AU).
The final summit of the OAU, formed as African states won their independence, began this morning.
It will be followed tomorrow and Wednesday by the inaugural summit of the AU, a body loosely modeled on the European Union which will have a Peace and Security Council authorised to send in a stand-by peacekeeping force drawn from African armies in the event of any conflict involving crimes against humanity.
The AU, which will eventually have its own central bank and court of justice, will work toward the creation of an African Economic Community and, eventually, a single currency.
It will be closely linked with NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, designed to pull Africa out of stagnation by promising good governance and sound economic practices in exchange for more aid and trade opportunities from developed nations.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will also be at the birth of the AU. He arrived in Durban late Saturday, and yesterday held talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki, who will be the first chairman of the AU.
The new pan-African body is the brainchild of Libyan leader Mr Moamer Kadhafi, who has offered to host the AU headquarters.
AFP